(CNS): Updated 10:30pm – Gang violence seemed to reach ever more shocking heights on Grand Cayman on Thursday evening when one man was shot and killed and a second ended up in hospital having sustained gunshot injuries following two separate shootings in the West Bay area at around 7:30 pm. One was off North West Point Road on Maliwinas Way and the other on Capt Osbert Road, off Birth Tree Hill Road. CNS also received unconfirmed reports of a further incident in George Town involving a fire arm. All of the shootings are thought to be gang related.
Police haveconfirmed however, that the 29 year old dead man was killed at the in Maliwinas Way location at about 7.26 pm. He was taken to the Cayman Islands Hospital but was found to be dead on arrival. In the second incident, which occurred about 7.33 pm on Capt Osbert Road, another man was also received a gun shot wound. He was taken by ambulance to the Cayman Islands Hospital where he is currently being treated for leg injuries.
Police said they are on the scene of both incidents and enquiries are ongoing and an update will be provided in due course.
Check back to CNS later for updates.
If MS-13 gang is here our officals had better address the problem now!
I beg every to go the below website and read about this gang.
http://www.apfn.org/apfn/ms-13.htm
Unwanted children born to broken families or little schoolgirls tend to live unhappy lives and a more likely to go into a life of crime. Our class biased abortion laws have ensured that Cayman has a gun crime problem today and will have one for the next 20 years.
When crime takes over a neighbourhood people move out and property values drop. Rental apartments empty, businesses move and homes become very difficult to sell.Eventually only the poorest and oldest remain and the gangs have a free run. As their territory expands the police stop community policing and only venture in armed and in force.
As the once peacefully community with a proud history is hijacked it becomes a no man’s land or a ghetto where residents stay silent and out of sight and the criminals are protected by a network of spys and informants.
Children are intimidated or enticed into membership and even the ones that don’t join are suspected of having connections. Language and mannerisms deteriorate into a culture of ghetto or gang speak that segregates them from future employment and self sufficiency. Where you are from determines where you are going.
Political representation becomes compromised as strongmen take control of the population and the vote. As this cancer spreads it looks for the next vulnerable community and the cycle starts all over again. Eventually the Island is taken over,people move out and property values drop. Rental apartments empty, businesses move and homes become very difficult to sell at any price.
All hidden behind a complacent population and a code of silence reinforced by extended family relationships and intimidation. I guess watching their children die and their property values drop like a stone doesn’t matter enough. Here is the next step.
"Prime Minister Bruce Golding is defiant that the Jamaican Government was right when it refused to sign the extradition request by the United States for West Kingston strongman Christopher ‘Dudus’ Coke.
Coke, the west Kingston ‘businessman’ and reputed ‘don’, whom Washington accuses of exporting narcotics to the United States and importing guns into Jamaica is the reputed leader of Tivoli Gardens, a section of West Kingston represented in Parliament by Prime Minister Golding."
West Kingston is Golding’s inherited parliamentary constituency, and Tivoli Gardens, where Strongman Coke has his base, is a political ‘garrison.’ The US stated that: "The high-profile suspect resides in and essentially controls the Kingston neighbourhood known as Tivoli Gardens, a key constituency for the JLP,"
I wonder who is exporting guns to Cayman and what the plan is?
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again…
This is what happens when you let BET raise your boys and girls!
While mommy and daddy were too busy working, cheating, drinking, and shopping – The Dog Pound, 50 Cent, Lil Wayne, Jay Z, Slim Thug, T.I., Trina, Rick Ross, Tupac and Biggie were but a remote control click away!
Congrats Cayman.
(By the way – the failure of so many of us in identifying these influences is a clear testament to the generational gap that now exists in this country!)
Parents – if you grew up in 60s, 70s, and 80s – your popular music and celebrated heroes were merely encouraging a bit of mischievous rebellion … today’s superstars – the very ones taped on the walls of your kids’ bedrooms and pumping into their psyche via their Ipods – are describing, encouraging, endorsing and blatantly instructing a sub-conscious level of self-destruction that you could never imagine.
Therefore, I sincerely ask … what is your Plan B?
(Please don’t say "prayer" – for no one is more Godly, righteous or spiritually cognizant than your run-of-the-mill "oppressed, thugged-out, gangsta’ rapper"!)
Good luck to us all.
I’m finding myself agreeing with you quite often whodatis! Does music influence us?? Are you kidding. When I was younger it was probably my ONLY influence. Bye the way, I’m a musician, so it still influences me. Not trying to be toooooo much of an old fuddy duddy (come to think of it that’s not a bad moniker for a rapper….could I use it?) the music I hear lately, or much of it, is crap. Frankly, it takes more talent to tie your shoe. It’s all corporate. Always was to a large degree. But now, corporations have got a drift on where to make the most money. Rebellion-ok Sure. Put a big gold chain around his neck, put his baseball hat on backwards. And go out there and act like your a Don’t Give a $hit Millionaire with a bad attitude. No talent? It’s ok. Forget music. Just put out a video with lots of t&a and a fancy car. People gonna think you got something important to say. The message is that they can be like that too! Yeah mon. Except the guy singing it ain’t got a brain in his head and no musical talent whatsoever. Don’t matter. Just turn up the bass. It’s a miserable excuse for music. And what’s worse, it doesn’t elevate anyone to anywhere. I would compare it to a Wendy’s burger or a Big Mac. Your head might be full. But your gut is empty. Dig Gangsta Rap is a soulless experience guaranteed to leave your soul empty. You know that thing? Soul??? The ONE thing that made black music beautiful. And moved people. And could change our world. And they sold out for Flash.
Rappers? I’d rather listen to a toilet flush and if it weren’t so violent it would be amusing.
I still like BET though. Keep Doggy Doo or whatever. No time.
Not to take away from the severity of the matter BUT these shootings WERE NOT ALL Gang Related and CNS this is really an inaccurate heading. Really now… its bad enough as it is Cayman really needs to assistance in destroying its image from reckless media statements…
when the power of love overcomes the love of power, CAYMAN will know peace.
we need to save our beloved isle, it is never too late. why do we have to think that this should be the norm? it is definalty not. we need to help one another! we are but a small little island, why are we fighting our brothers? dont blame politics or police, im sure RCIPS is not going to be everywhere all day, everyday. we need to be eyes and ears when they are not around. we need to be reporters of our island, to keep our friends and families out of ignorance and harms way. do we have to fear doing regular daily activities such as going shopping and going to the park with our children?
lets fight this together, i am sure that the good of this island out-weighs the bad.
i am a very young, concerned caymanian lady, i abide by the laws of this island and i try my best not to "step on anyones toes". i want to grow here and live here for the rest of my natural life, i love cayman very much and was once proud to call this whole island my home, not just George Town or West Bay or East End ect. this WHOLE island.
what will become of us if this madness continues? where will we run to when the criminals take over because they "think" we are afraid of them?
Cayman is full of loving, caring, smart, all around good people. Whether they are born Caymanians or not.
There will be a judgement day for everyone, we are not the ones that should decide who lives and who dies, yes, we should not have the heartless and careless walk amongst our innocent children. that is what the law is for. it is the right way of dealing with people who do bad in the society and are seen unfit to live with us.
i just hope and pray that WE get our safe island back.
GOD BLESS
I’m sad to say this, but I’m not shocked. Maybe I’m becoming desensitized to the violence, which is an awful thought, but I really would be lying if I said I was surprised or shocked by the most recent shootings. I think back to when I was a kid growing up in Cayman, a time when this kind of thing just did not happen. It makes me wonder what kind of Cayman is in store for my children who are all under 5 years. I don’t have the answer for what is going on, but I sure as hell hope that someone does, and that they fix it fast.
This is not a political issue. It is not a PPM, UDP or Independent issue. This is a parenting issue. I am dishearten by the attempts of political parties and their members to politicise this increase in violent crime rather than roll up their sleeves and help find solutions. I find this to be far more criminal than the actual crimes are. Shame on each and everyone of you who are seeking to blame politicians for this, we all voted them in, we must take responsibility for our countries social problems rather than attempt to play the blame game.
To Anon 16:18, why didn’t you say that when the UDP & Bush was blaming the PPM for crime? Personally, I blame the escalation in crime in Cayman on Mr. Bush because of the status grants in 2003! It has been since 2004 that we have seen the drastic rise in serious crime. The staus grants brought to this country hundreds of people who did not even live here & on whom no background checks were done. As a result we brought to our country many criminals. On top of that, the 3000 new Caymanians brought family (even the newly "adopted" ones) which ended up being like 10000 new persons in Cayman depriving those already here of jobs. Jobs became harder to get because not all the new imported Caymanians could find work & as a result crime increased (a hungry man is an angry man). Yes Anon 16:18, this is a political issue. I blame Bush & the UDP, but I wish you were as concerned when the UDP was blaming the PPM as you seem to be now that the UDP is taking licks for doing nothing to solve THEIR crime problem. Fair is fair, so be fair! Get it?
Dear Grand Cayman,
Son of Cayman I hear you. and I believe every word you say. Because there has been many sons of Cayman that no one took the time to love and pushed them out into the world, and is still doing it up untill today..
Now those same sons are crying in the wilderness, and still no on wants to listen. But remember son of Cayman, it is ever too late for shower of rain. Be Blessed.
100 % Son, 100% Son ! ! !
For all those who want to know more about MS-13 well it is a well organized international gang group. This gang started in El Salvador and the real name for this group is Mara Salvatrucha which was named after "LA Maria" a street name where the gang started now they are all over the world. They like revenge.
For more information go to google and learn more.
Cayman has gone to the dogs, we are like crabs trying and fighting to get out the holes and move away from danger but we are being killed one by one.
I know i might have problem with my family but this killing and stuff is just pushing me to leave my beautiful Isle of Cayman.
Nothing is more unreliable than the populace, nothing more obscure than human intentions, nothing more deceptive than the whole electoral system.
Marcus Cicero
Why does our government refuse to hear the people’s demands that they get tough on crime? I used to think that it was because they are lazy and inept. With their ongoing refusal to do anything about the violent criminals who are destroying my country, I am beginning to think that they must be seeing some benefit to letting thecriminals destroy the country.
Maybe once the Premier has finished building the wall around his personal property at our expense, he might give just a little thought to the fact that the rest of us don’t have that luxury. I doubt it though, and for that reason I would like a change in leadership with someone who is willing to be tough on the gangstas stepping in.
I cannot express how very disappointed I am with Mckeeva Bush & the UDP government with the way everything is going in Cayman at the moment. They loved to play politics & blame the PPM for everything when the PPM was the government, but the situation is far worse now, & it is no good saying that the PPM spent too much because that does not help make things better! The PPM spending money on schools & roads has nothing to do with the recent & drastic escalation in crime under the UDP! Yet all the UDP can do is fly around the world to exotic locales AND blame the PPM. If the UDP cannot do the job then GET OUT! If Bush cannot handle the job then RESIGN. The UDP & Bush are making things worse, & all we can hear from them is PPM! Is that solving the crime? Is that solving the job situation? Is that helping the economy? The UDP are more hopeless than they claimed the PPM to be! At least with the PPM we saw where our money was going! At least with the PPM we saw that they made an effort to fight crime by helping the RCIPS with a $50 million budget! What are the UDP doing? NOTHING! Enough said!
…and the PPM has the solutions, I mean the Lion, I mean Choppy, I mean Justin Woods…OMG people!!!!!
No wonder the Premier listens not to you…Can I read a well thought out contribution PLEASE!!!!!!
My goodness what have we become I mean this is what happens when we have lost all cultural values and accepted BET as our moral measuring stick. Trust me I enjoy some forms of rap music yet what we shouldn’t allow is the gangster mentality of degarding women, selling drugs and promoting violence. Our borders aren’t protected so it makes it easy for illegal firearms, human trafficking (which is happening) and drugs to enter our shores.
We have danced too long with the devil and ignored for the last 5 years that we have a crime issue. This is just like most things in Cayman society that is either tucked under the rug or rapped lip tight. See where this has gotten us now and I’m an optimistic Caymanian and believe that things will get better yet it has got to be done drastic and effective no more Mr. Nice Guys the world is watching us.
Poor parenting, policing and community involvement has left us in this rather sticky situation. We need Gang Specialist from Major US Cities who are well trained and want to stop this madness. I pray for the families of this man and the others who have been attacked yet if you know that they might be involved in gangs please try to help them get out. There is no good in causing harm to others and to the 09:52 thanks for being positive. The day a tourist or some high ranking official or business person is killed then heads will roll and the politicians will come out from their holes and quit the blame game. Wake up Cayman and face the facts gangs are here.
I agree with you. Bring in the really tough undercover cops from East LA. They know how to handle these criminals.
I just read this and wanted to share this Cayman Psalms with everyone>>
CAYMAN PSALMS:Mackeeva is the shepherd I did not want. He leadith me into bright gun shot lights an high taxes. He restoreth my faith in the PPM. He guideth me in the path of unemployment for his parties sake.Yea though i shall bare no more money for my salary is at stake.He annoited my head with blood with copper,my expenses runneth over. Surely death or hard life will follow me all the days of my life and i shall live in fear in my own homeland forever.
I hope the writer of this rubbish is not expecting a an "Oscar".
These gangs were not created in May 2010. Neither were our financial problems. The people of Cayman better stop playing party politics, join together and solve the problems. No one can tell me Tibbetts loves Cayman more than McKeeva and visa versa. ANYONE who posts thumbs up or down based on which party he belongs to is a damn fool. Smarten up. Stop being a mindless puppet to whichever politician you follow. Get off this site and do SOMETHING to save the country. Caymanians now proudly support one party or another. You constantly ridicule Jamaicans without even realizing it was party politics that lead to Jamaica’s demise. Who is the fool? The same arrogance allows many to think Cayman can’t fall. Well I have news for you. It wouldn’t be the first country to do so and it certainly won’t be the last. So band together, support your community, support your government (whichever it is) and save Cayman while you still can. Because once it is gone, it will NEVER return. And don’t ever say you weren’t warned.
Why can’t the police invoke a "stop and search" policy with immediate effect. No on should have an issue if they have nothing to hide.
Hang around the local bottle stores and watering holes, make use of the stop and search program and interrogate people. If it does not produce weapons (guns, knives and other illegal objects) it may unearth other illegal happenings or atleast reduce the spots for gangs to congregate.
No one on these islands should have a need for a gun (and don’t give me the bullshit story about "they are needed for duck and rabbit hunting")
And can everyone stop talking about "these foreigners that come to the island bringing these problems"….I am very sure you will find that the "troublemakers" are caymanians whose parents interest in them faded once the could walk and talk….leaving them to be impressionable souls that are being led down the wrong path. KNOW WHERE YOUR CHILDREN ARE, WHO THEIR FRIENDS ARE AND WHAT THEY ARE DOING AT ALL TIMES…..ITS YOUR DUTY!
It seems like our politicians are only distracted from building walls around their own personal properties and hiring servants at our expense when the people organise to walk. I have given up on any politicians showing leadership, but perhaps the Chamber of Commerce or the Tourism Association or one of the other organisations which has capacity to orchestrate a march will now be willing to organise a march to demand that those who we elected to pass laws do so NOW.
Others have posted demands to increase minimum sentences for violent crime, an end to parole for violent crime, and tougher bail conditions for those charged with violent crime. I support all of that. I also agree with those that Northward should not be a SPA.
I would add to the list of things that our lazy legislators should pass into law a tough antigang law. The current law is nonsense as the conditions it sets for convicting a person for gang activity were never likely to be met. That is why there have never been any convictions under that law despite that the police and politicians are finally willing to admit that we have gangs.
If I had my way, we would have a march to wake up the politicians and get them into action. If a march fails to get them to do anything then I would suggest that we have a referendum to get their lazy bottoms off our payroll.
Northward Prison should not be used for anyone doing over 14 months,,everyone else should go to Cuba as suggested earlier.
I am sure Cuba will welcome the extra cash and Cayman will make a saving and the bad hoods who go to prison will get a taste of real prison not a holiday camp with bad management
Good idea, but I am not sure about saving money.
Cuba is the most expensive place in the Caribbean. If you think you get ripped off here, you never been to Cuba.
15:13 You are absolutely right. That is one place you will get fleeced very quick.
Cuba is very expensive, If you want to enjoy anyting halfway as much as in Caynman, you pay dearly for it my friend. Dont let anyone fool you into thinking that Cuba is cheap,because it is not, and there is no comparisson in comparing with the quality of what we get in Cayman, absolutely none.
I have visited prisons, hospitals and orphanage, in Camaguey and Santa cruz, I can tell you one thing, the worst of crimnals here, would be hollering for Cayman Islands if they were sent to Cuba prison. It would be worse than sending them to the gallows
Just going to Havana is not knowing anything about Cuba, I travel 800 to 1000. miles into Cuba from Havana, to Camaguey, Oriente, Santa Cruz, Santiago, and guantanamo. and stay for 2 months some time. Travel to these places, and you will know what is Cuba,
Cayman gone to the dogs!!!!
How have we let ourselves become so complacent about what is happening to our country? Is it because we feel like it is not affecting us directly? Or because it seems to be isolated, drug and gang related violance that does not impact us? I would like to see more media coverage on the so called less serious crimes, like the regular muggings that are happening on this island that have all but been forgotten by the media!
Perhaps if we focus on these smaller crimes, we will catch the bigger criminals. This week apparently a sailor off the U.S. Coast Guard was mugged in GT and ended up in the hospital. This is the behavior that needs to be addressed, and dealt with, and I am confident, it will be connected to the jack XXX shooting each other.
If we feel more affected by and threatened by the crime on the island, perhaps we will feel more inclined to do something about it peronally. It is one thing for people to shoot each other over drugs etc, but I think the more important issue is that there is a mugging probably once a week along the major tourist strip of West Bay Rd. I can’t believe the number of first hand accounts I have heard in the past year about people being attacked on the street in the relatively early evening.
I grew up on this island, and love the island I grew up on, but I am afraid of what is happening here. I spent a few years living in one of the largest cities in the U.S. and to be completely honest, I felt safer there, than I do here today! I worry about walking to my car after dark in GT from my office. I never felt that way downtown in one of the largest cities in the U.S. with a serious reputation for crime and gang violence.
I suggest that someone in the police force and/or government consult with someone from former NY City Mayor Rudy Giuliani’s office on how to tackle this sort of issue, or at least read the book Freakonomics and understand that many of these criminals are cought by focusing on the smaller crimes. Giuliani is famous for drastically reducing violent crime in NYC..if it can be done there, it can be done here with the right approach.
How is it that this island has changed so much in a lifetime that a 4 yr old boy is shot in front of a gas station and across the street from children playing football, and yet, no march has been organized to protest this behavior in our world. If we don’t do something soon to stop this, this beautiful island nestled between Jamaica and Honduras will be exactly the same, only divided by water!
Immigration you needto play another role in these Islands. You are concentration only on the Financial industry, what about all those foreign nationals that were working on the schools and other stopped Government projects? Why are they STILL on these Islands? Why don’t you send ALL of them home as they are also running wild amongst us too? Send them home until the work restarts, the you can bring them back if there are no Caymanian to fill the posts. I know of quit a few in the West Bay area that has been out of work since last year and they are still her doing nothing. Imagine if they was to join up with the West Bay and george Town Gangs too? These Cayman Islands are becoming lawless and pretty soon we will have to start investing in burgular bars and other drastic means of home security. Do your part too Immigration, instead of following MacKeeva in destroying these Islands. We are rapidely becoming a welfare state and experiencing a social breakdown, all because of the stupid foreign Immigration Policies. The Policies in no way are helpful to the Caymanians.
We can not blame Immigration (as bad as the are) for approving work permits, we need to blame ourselves. A work permit can’t be processed without it is submitted, Caymanians (paper or born) has to apply for a foreigner to work. Majority of the caymanians submit these permits so that they can pay less from their pockets.
If you know the people that are not working, why don’t you call Immigration and let them know so that they can investigate it???? Just sitting back and talking about it on CNS doesn’t do us any good. It’s like watching a murderhappen and you refuse to get involve but then expect the police to solve the crime!!
What we as Caymanian need to do is start standing up for the right of our childrens’ future, report crime when we see it happening whether or not we know who the "child" farther is, it has to start right in our own yard.
Nonsense, I am willing to bet significant money that the majority of permits applied for are NOT applied for by, or on behalf of, Caymanians.
The rollover policy came into effect right after Ivan, and a helluva lot of the long time, good people who were here had to leave and continued to have to leave, if I had not been fighting like I have, I would have had to leave as well. I love thisIsland otherwise I would have left and threw in the towel a LONG FREAKIN time ago.
A lot of undesirables came to these islands after Ivan and a lot of them are still here, also, a lot of developing nations people came in droves, don’t get me wrong I don’t have a racist / prejudiced bone in my body, but I speak how I see. When you get an influx of people from poorer countries it will eventually reflect in society within the country they enter. I don’t think these people are committing crimes, but there is a lower level playing field to deal with economically. These people never go out to restaurants / bars on a regular basis or take a weekend trip toLittle Cayman / Cayman brac, buy locally and contribute to local economy, all these things have a barring on social structure and especially in a small place like this, and unfortunately this will not stop, because they are cheap cheap labor. Cheap labor kills economy and leads to economic instability, please don’t think I have no respect for these people because I do, it’s just a sad fact of life that a small community is going to have a big problem with this, because even the big countries do. (My tupence worth) !
caymanians are commiting 90% of crimes
60 expatswere deported for their crimes in the last 24 months, not counting the many others who were incarcerated or who left (with or without a conviction). That seems like more than 10% to me.
These are gangs of local Caymanians so I understand. Very little to do with immigration.
At least 2 recent shooting victims Matthew Reid – killed in canal (Jamaican), and US citizen wounded in NevLaw parking Lot – are not Caymanian. Both shootings are understood to be gang related. The guy arrested for shooting the American by the NevLaw building was not Caymanian.
Immigration does have some role to play.
Yeah yeah yeah. Blame it on foreign nationals. Wake up, will you? Geez.
And if it turns out to be many young Caymanians in gangs. It will be because foreign nationals took their jobs? And they were bored?
You’re starting to believe your own hype.
Gangs, Politics and playing the numbers will be the destruction of these Islands. There are dissent, division and destruction amongst us and we need to re focus. We the people of these Islands have to stand up for what is right in the eyes of the LORD or we will fall in Hell. Every parent needs to teach their childen from birth the Bibical values of life. When you focus on God, he will provide us with our needs. Today the parents are training their children to focus on material things and when they cannot get it, they will steal it, peddle it or kill for it. Re Focus our society Cayaman or we will lose everything!!!
7.26 & 7.33, I dont know west bay, but how long does it take someone to get from the first location to the next? Will the police be releasing information if these shootings are connected? Im sure forensics can assist?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mara_Salvatrucha
We don’tneed this here! The foolishness and cowards we have here is more than enough as it is!!
If the R.C.I.P. and who ever else knows about this person here why don’t they do something to get rid of him?
Or are they gonna sit down and wait until he invites his friends to ‘Paradise’? And then what?!?!
Sorry, but apparently in the past year they deported 5 members linked to MS-13.
The government obviously has no clue how to deal with the level of gang violence/crime in Cayman, instead of forming committees to hold meetings to have discussions that cannot be disclosed, and resurrecting 4 year old reports on crime prevention…..I think we’re a little past that point….why don’t we spend that money on bringing in enforcement from the USA that know how to deal with gang violence.
Why should the violence here stop? These thugs are not afraid of the police, in fact it’s just the opposite. I think the public deserves to know the truth behind the reality of the gangs in Cayman. Somehow I don’t think it’s down to "15 individuals" as reported by the RCIP, if that is the case, why haven’t you rounded them up.
We all know the government has no problem changing laws when it suits them, so if that is what needs to be done for the RCIP to do their job…do it.
Fear not, the good Captain of West Bay has this whole thing under control.
Cayman needs to enact similar laws to the RICO Act.
And this is just the beginning.
Gangs will grow and become an important part of society.
They will invest their money in businesses, and become a political entity.
Politicians will have to work with them, making them part of the problem.
Soon this small island will be controlled by gang leaders that have politicians and police in their pockets.
Then the people that can leave this place will start moving, leaving the poor behind.
Tourists will be attacked and cruise ships will end their visits.
Business owners will be forced to pay "protection fees".
Kids in school are going to be recruited, because in a gang one makes money and gets respect. In cayman kids don’t get respect and the chance of getting a descent paid job with a future is nil.
The said part of it all, that we were warned for this to happen. In the 80’s the gangs were just starting, but politicians and religious leaders denied it.
Now they are a part of cayman and are here to stay and take over.
Be sure the police knows the leaders of these gangs, but police is not backed by politicians. Of course they can be arrested and put in jail, but it is just not happening. Proving my point, they are already in control.
For politicians and pastors this situation is working well. They gain power and more control, since the people are scared. Fear works well. It works for gangs, but also for leaders. Church is making people scared, it really works.
To all expats: Pack and leave, this place is going down. Lets leave them praying in church and deny the troubles they are in.
They will never learn.
This is without a doubt one of the most idiotic posts I’ve ever read.
You sir are a fool.
And you Sir, should review Jamaican history from about 1970 through the 80’s before you call anyone a fool.
CNS – please provide space for this, people must read thru the whole thing, politicians must be aware of the challenges faced in policing this small island.
Here is the way forward, with some hard truths. Hard truths are sometimes hard to read thru, but must be digested. just read and then think about these things over the next few days:
1. stop hiring officers from and 3rd world or developing countries (any other carib nation) just because they are willing to work for 38K per year. aside from unskilled and often non professionals, they see things thru the prism of their culture (no biggie to beat your wife, drive drunk, basically not follow rules and be a social @sshole)
2. no jamaican officers. if they arent corrupt (assume none are), the gangs that run the guns/drugs here know their families back in jamaica. those gangs act with inpunity in jamaica and can hurt them for doing their jobs so they cannot act "without FEAR or prejudice." same hold true for honduran officers.
3. seriously restrict caymanians on the force, vetting each one thouroughly with ongoing vetting for all officers (caymanian and non)
4. serious pay raise for cops. ie – starting constable should earn 65-75K per year giving the ability to recruit educated professional career officers. recruit them from canada preferrably or the UK since laws in those places have the same basis as cayman law. (PS – i know we are broke, assume you are going to raise the salaries for each officer by 35k – this will be about 10 mill a year – a small price to pay and few would argue with this price tag for a major upgrade to the force) – THIS STEP IS ONE HALF OF THE KEY. THEY OTHER HALF IS THE NEXT STEP.
5. community relations and public trust. with upgraded professional officers, hit the street and rebuild these. People dont talk to the police because they know they are not professionals. they know their info can be leaked, they know that even with info arrest wont be made. THIS IS THE OTHER HALF OF THE KEY.
6. once the above force is ready to roll, the Comissioner calls a press conference and announces the Gulianni approach to cracking down on crime in Manhattan: – start small and work your way up to the big stuff. start nailing people for jay walking, not signalling, blowing thru stop signs – yes – the 99% of good people of this country will pull their socks up quick and the police will be able to move onto bigger and better things within 30 days of this initiative.
7. lobby your MLA. deterrent must be part of any effective strategy. demand that they pass tougher laws from everything from blowing a stop sign to gun possession. ie – fine for running a stop sign is $25 and jail for possession of a gun is 10 yrs max. on the very left side of the deviant scale – make it $100 coupled with above mentioned guliani styled enforcement, and you will see driving habits changed quickly. for the other end of the spectrum, make crimes such as gun possession come with conviction and serious time. – keep upping the term.
i can go on with many other ideas but the fact is, that we need to grow up, face some hard truths, and follow all of the above as a starting point. if we dont do this, we are heading towards just being another crime ridden caribbean country. the difference is – we dont have mountains, rain forests, wildlife or offer a cheap vacation – so if we go down this road it will be a spiralling road because tourists will have no reason to come – all whilst we fight for our financial industry’s life. dark days ahead if we cant face up to it.
MacKeeva – your job here is to summon Baines and ask him about all of the above. Demand the truth – because it is in the interest of OUR children. If he doesnt see it it is because he doesnt have a vested long term interest. If he is not willing, bring in a chief (I would love that job and would do it for a salary of $1.00 per year) that will tell you the truth.
PS – i know this will come at a cost of increased police budget, but willing to bet if i present this plan ‘forward’ to dart, the banks, law firms, chamber of commerce and to ‘the monied’ they will come up with anonymous donations of 10 mill a year pretty quick. sounds like a lot – but it really is a small amount of money given all of the sums sloshing around this island and said commercial interests.
I wish nothing but the best for the good people of the Cayman Islands. God Bless You.
Sounds like you want an all white police force,whats wrong with getting good and intelligent cops from Jamaica,Honduras and other third world countries?If you known any thing about Cayman’s history you would drop that stupid suggestion………i suggest you find out more about the West Indies regimen(police) during their 1835-1836 stay in Cayman!please read and educate yourself cause history has a way of repeating itself……
Diversity is the spice of life, did you settle a scores. so we go chase traffic violations and somehow this will fix the more serious crimes we are facing? hmm…and you think UK and Canadian police officers will resolve the traffic violations and some how the gang crimes we are facing will auto fix? …hmm you sir are a genius – NOT!!!!!
If we can not protect police officers, working our streets, we are definately doomed. and it doesnt matter where they are from. Most organisation recognise the need for diversity in membership to provide different potential solution to deal with challenges. you want to do what? …
To suggest that we hire Canadian and UK cops only is a little foolish and will only add to the problems we are facing, that is the community does not relate and trust the police and your suggestion will just make ths situation worse.
Also in case you think we were not keeping score tempura, zero conviction from a met investigation hmm… and how many more must get fired for buying expensive toys from their home country etc
Enforcing misdeameanors and other silly things as you have suggested is one sure way to loose the community and ensure the criminals safe havens.
developed nations cops are at a disadvantage when it comes to dealing with gang problems such as the ones we are facing here. US cops yes, but definately not the mounty and Bobbies, nah suh
When we have a budget deficit you think we should double pay for UK and canadian cops? eh? hmm..
an important part of policing is gathering information, so you tell me what is common about your uk and canadian police officer and most residents in these high crime neighbourhoods?
we need a home grown solution tothese problems. second rate mounties and bobbies can come and enforce traffic laws but do not send them into the community as they will only make things worse.
the poster does not understand our problems and is trying to sell us more tempura quality output while hating on Jamaicans.
God forbid but I’m speaking my mind. Just get down or get out of the way when you hear shooting because these dullards don’t give two birds about the innocent ones getting shot, only about them-selves. We don’t need to be in this mess "GANG-MAN-O-WAR" massacre!!!
I suggest you give those dolt people a all paid airline ticket to a far away island so they can kill themselves off and save our island.
Because I’m tired of watching my every move and hearing someone just got shot/rob. I don’t want to walk down the street any more because next thing you know I’m dead because they don’t care who they shoot/rob as long as the message gets through to us follow Caymanians.
God forbid but I’m speaking my mind. Just get down or get out of the way when you hear shooting because these dullards don’t give two birds about the innocent ones getting shot, only about themselves. We dont need to be in this mess "GANG-MAN-O-WAR" massacre!!!
I suggest you give those dolt people a all paid airline ticket to a far away island soo they can kill themselves off and save our island.
Because I’m tired of watching my every move and hearing someone just got shot/rob. I don’t want to walk down the street any more because next thing you know i’m dead because they dont care who they shoot/rob as long as the message gets through to us follow Caymanians.
Here we go again!
The UDP are flying all over the world (some in London and some in Costa Rica), the PPM have extended an Olive Branch to work with the Government to solve the crime issue, but all the UDP can do is play Politics and ignore the DRASTIC crime problem, while continuing their Very Expensive Global vacations.
Cayman we have to wake up to the fact that we will remain in these dire times if we have Politicians who are more interested in their lifestyles (living the good life) instead of being concerned with Caymans and its peoples well being!
Everyone is saying that the police and the polticians are not doing there job and etc but true infact it is we the people of the island.
We know who are doing the shooting and all we are doing is just relaxing and not doing anything. You can know a person by the way they dress and act even though it is not good to judge but something needs to be done. Cayman is small and everyone is scare. When you are driving on the rd these days and you see a car behind you, you are wondering if the person is following you. For me i dont want to live my life in fear and i know that alot of reader can agree with me.
We know these people and all it takes it just for some SERIOUS SEARCH to take place. Go into areas where we know gangs are and start from there. Go to houses in West Bay, George Town, Bodden Town, Northside and East End and SEARCH!
The police are taking off tints from cars… but to be honest Mr. Commissioner Baines i dont think that will help at all.
Police go and lock up these IDIOTS NOW!!!
You know who they are. They are GANG MEMBERS. LOCK THEM UP!!!
Ok now I think it is high time someone start talking about the MS-13 member that have leaked onto our shores. STOP trying to hide it!
Shouldn’t you be reporting this to the police?
police know
The police knows, but appraently the public doesnt! This is where we need the fingerprinting system. They can spend a few million here and there, but cant spend 1 or 2 or whatever it cost to get it, that in the long run will save us not only money but lives… WOW!
Wow I googled Ms-13 and am horrified by what i’ve read 🙁 And shocked to see Cayman Islands on a list that is claimed to have members operating !!!!
Yemen, Kuwait, Nepal, Mauritius, United Arab Emirates, Bangladesh, Cayman Islands, Vietnam, Hong Kong , Oman, Madagascar, Palestinian Territory, Netherlands Antilles, Cote DIvoire, Guyana, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan, Korea, Nigeria, Bermuda, Mongolia Syrian Arab Republic, Zambia,Paraguay, Cuba, Haiti, Egypt, Somalia, Afghanistan,
MS 13 WORLDWIDE!!!!!!!!!
Yes they are the most feared gang in the word, and for a long time people have been saying that they know they are here, so why dont those that know this, not do the right thing and identify them to the authoritys.Shame on you for keeping their secrets.
MS13 is just as wide spread as the American Military and just as frightening.
What is a/an "MS-13 member"???
Google it. It is one of the most violent and organized gangs in the U.S.
http://www.altereddimensions.net/crime/ms13gang.aspx
I am English and have been resident on this island for two years and have found the people of Cayman to be very friendly, intelligent and courteous.
When we first moved here we were prepared to make this out home and stay for as long as we were welcome, investing money into the local economy. However, following last nights shootings we have made a decision. We feel, given the small size of the island that it is simply too dangerous to stay on these islands. If things have deteriorated so badly in two years what will Cayman be like in 15 years?
Yes, other countries have crime as well but unlike Cayman the powers that be seem to be taking steps to tackle violent crime.
Both myself and my wife will shortly be handing in our notice and moving home.
Goodbye Cayman and good luck.
I’m in a similar situation, but I’ve got a problem with leaving. The problem is that I’ve fallen in love with Cayman, and I’m not ready to give it up yet. So I’m going to take a different approach. Tonight after work, I’m going to go for a walk in my quiet and friendly West Bay neighbourhood. I’m going to speak to Mr. Bodden on the corner about the weather, and I’m going to ask Mrs. Ebanks about her garden and the best way to cook a breadfruit. I’m going to chat with the group of 12 year old boys that ride their bikes up and down, find out their names, ask them about school. I’m going to invite the little girl who lives in the run down house with no mother if she’d like to come over on Saturday afternoon for a swim in the pool. I know that none of this can change what’s happened in the past two years. I know that none of this will change what’s going to happen in the next two. But who knows? Maybe, just maybe, if I open my gate and talk to people, then we’ll form a neighbourhood, then a community, and if we start to care about each other, then we’ll become something like a family. And if I can make the kids on my street feel like they have a family, maybe there will be one less gangster on this island five years from now.
And in the meantime, I’d be very grateful if the police would start kicking the asses of the ones that are already lost.
I dont know who you are, but I applaud you for your comment and hope you do what you say. And if you have any more of that spirit laying around, please give it away. seems you have a Big heart and you’ve acceptedcayman with its good and bad and no ready to flea when $hit hits the fan and seems your in the midst of it all. Good Luck, and make sure you use Yellow Heart Breadfruit! =) God Bless!
You think it is better in the rest of the world? I have only been here a short time, but In still feel safer here than in the UK. To say that’s it, we’re handing our notice in and going, perhaps check the news reports in the UK and US. This is a lovely Island, and with people who welcome and talk to you. The Police appear to be ‘kicking asses’. Even last night with all this going on, I was out and still felt safe. Now if you know one of these ‘individuals’, then I could understand why you would feel threatened. But if you are going about your daily business in most places on this Island, why would there be a problem?
Be careful when approaching those 12 year old boys. I’d wear a vest just to be safe! Good luck!
I hope i see you! you sound like good people! I’ll be walking my dogs in my quiet WB neighbourhood
To "I’m in a similar situation on Fri, 03/12/2010 – 09:52.", as a born and cultured Caymanian (+40yrs), I personally wish to thank you for the great and valuable qualities and standards that your parents/family have taught you!! I commend them, for you are a fine example of them, a true reflection. I can appreciate that life also taught you a few lessons of appreciation too but the foundation is what you received from them. Hence, your family and your community from hence you come, is/was very much of what the Cayman Islands used to be, up until the mid-90’s.
Hilary Clinton once said, "it takes a community to raise a child". A truer statement than this has never been spoken. Its only a few of us parents here in Cayman today that (1) advise our kids that no matter where they go, someone is always watching, and (2) if that someone are acquainted/know the parents, they usually care enough to call to advise the concerns.
You came as a stranger among us and have been able to see the aboundant and great qualities that exist in our people. You are a positive, grateful , kind and considerate person, someone who is able to the glass as half-full instead of half-empty, someone who lives in hope and faith. Hope is the ingredient that causes one’s self to make a difference. It has been proven over and over again, that it only takes one man to make a difference. Thank you for beginning this hope of changeing the community.
You, my friend, is a born leader. You, my friend, is the type of person we Caymanians welcome with open arms – those that arrive to our shores to be like us, to live and love among us as one with the same qualities!
Although I no longer live in West Bay, I hope and pray that I meet you one day soon. Thank you for the love you share!!
Your response brought tears to my eyes. Thank you for caring about our community and our people.
You may think this wouldn’t make a difference but I truly believe it will. And think of how much more of a difference it would make if everyone did this.
I am glad that you are here. Please ensure you are not niave to what is taking place but I believe we should all have this view.
Have a great day and stay safe Cayman!
On behalf of all Caymanians thank you so much Sir/Madam, it’s people like you that we truly accept and appreciate. In our eyes you are one of us rest assured that we love having you here with us. Please be blessed and continue to enjoy our beautiful islands. If you don’t have status our Premier should bestow it on you at once as you are most deserving of our citizenship if you want to accept it. Your comments are well said and appreciated by all"Native Caymanians".
That’s very touching, and it is good to recognize that there are many many very good people in the Cayman Islands, offset by a minority who are successfully destroying the country. It is good to give back to them.
I know you’d be grateful if the police would do something about the crime but they won’t and we all know it, including you. You stand a reasonable chance of being shot wghile out for your West Bay walk-about. And there’s nothing the caps can do about that except arrange for the transport of your corpse to the morgue.
Thank you again for the warm feelings about being a community. If it made you and me bulletproof it would be great.
Lets see what you have to say when you get rolled over.
What a strikingly beautiful post.
"Do not fear the winds of adversity; instead remember that a kite flies against the wind rather than with it."
We should never underestimate the power of positive thinking…as difficult as it may be sometimes. To the poster of this comment: thank you for this sweet reminder. 🙂
Im sad to say that so will me and my husband.
we have invested a lot of our savings here but we no longer feel safe. We have already been subjected to burglary and managed to reccover from that though Im still scared when my husband is not home. These shootings and the posting stating that there is a gang member from M13 here has done it! I want to leave as soon as we possible can.
Its simply not fun being scared
WoW, so many fine comments today on this ugly story !! Plenty emotion at a record pace (105 comments in less than 12 hrs)… but truly, come on: its not likely that anyone’s packing up and leaving, or deciding no not visit our shores just because a couple of thugs have decided to pound their chests in a show of violence.
No use blaming RCIPS, or politicians, or parents …. as I’ve said it before, its unfortunate be we are all to blame, or not to blame. We Caymanians traded in the "land that time forgot" many years ago and began the walk down the slippery road we are all now trodding on. So many have prospered and made a wonderful life for themselves, their families, and the employees they brought in from foreign lands. Our culture is a wonderful mix of nations and experiences… surely we did not expect only the good to slip in… surely we did not expect to not be affected by the changing styles and patterns of the 21st century? Cayman is now fully integrated into the "new world order".. pop culture, gansta style and music, and an Xbox / PS3 on every household TV. Today’s youth are plugged into the world 24/7 via Ipods, blackberrys and so much more.. of course they are going to absorb it all, and unfortunately there a lot of garbage and violence out there, and they take it all in too.
Lets all keep up the fight.. keep talking to the youth.. establish neighbourhood watches… call the police when you see suspicious activity.. lets make the bad guys (even if they are family members or so called friends) feel unwelcomed.
Actually that isn’t true. If you walk with expats many have reached the point where they have decided to leave what was once a beautiful island. While crime exists anywhere, I wouldn’t live in a US City the population size of Cayman with the crime Caymanhas occurring.
I see the Police as incompetent and not able to solve any crime…how many have been "solved" this year out of the 10 or so shootings (one!). They can’t even catch bank robbers that are on camera.
Yes the public could help, but how can they help if the police withhold information.. I refer again to the bank robbery, have you seen any video pictures released, no. Again, my point is they are completely incompetent..all of them!
Back to my point. Speak with 10 expats, and a good majority are considering leaving, and most of us are seeking out our options elsewhere in the world, selling our houses, moving our money out of Cayman, pulling our children out of the public schools and private schools and in general preparing to leave. As someone mentioned a while back and probably will get mentioned in this post as well, "Well go then already…"
You have your wish.
Just an FYI to you and the other nay sayers, incidents like these ARE affecting travel. Go to http://www.tripadvisor.com and see the latest warnings to people on Cayman. And before you make the comment that no one goes to these sites, I personally use it when I travel, and I know MANY people that do.
The Govt and the RCIPS need to tuck their tails and ask for help from people that know how to deal with these situations. Not bring in fat, bloated, overpaid, overdecorated, pompous know it alls that are unwanted by their country, but real law men. Yes there will be a cost, but we need to stop this now. Most of this violence hits too close to home for our police officers and we all KNOW that they are scared too, as it may be their family, friends or someone that has family or friends that will retaliate.
God help us when some poor unsuspecting tourist (and they come in all shades) goes into a ‘local’ bar or just happens to be in the wrong place, at the wrong time and gets killed. What then???
People of GRAND CAYMAN, our island is now officially Little Jamaica… hope " Mckeeva’s " really happy now just wait until their done with the " so called GANGSTA’S " wait til they start on the politicians… unna nuh see nuttin yet man juss wait… talk about dog going eat our supper WAIT!!!…. Mckeeva Bush get the XXXX up off your XXX XXX and do your XXXXX job you getting paid to make our home land go to waste you must be XXXXX joking.
Trust me, if they don’t try and deal with this exactly how they should everyone will soon have to be backing guns for protection. Mckeeva PLAYTIME’S up XXXXX the people are fed up with your election talk about your going todo improvement in our island scheme’s. XXXXXXXX
You can help the expacts with EVERYTHING but you must remember they aren’t born here we are if you can’t do anything about what’s going then your XXX doesn’t need to be talking up space YOU UNDERSTAND!!.
Deal with the XXXX issue’s and stop flying away 24/7 about on business trips to help benefit the country stop using our money on XXXXX straight talk and trust me if was ever around when I angry like now you would get a BIG TASTE OF CAYMAN!….
Last time get up and do your job!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
WE ARE TIRED OF THE WAR IN GRAND CAYMAN,CAYMAN ISLANDS!!!!!!!!!!!!
Are you trying to make this place the same as Jamaica or Cuba??… but think again XXXXXX it ain’t going down that way.
Response to "People of Grand Cayman"
Dear God! This level of ignorance is gross stupidity! Neither the Premier, other heads of Government, members of the opposition or general populace, including expats (and MAYBE YOURSELF),in the Cayman Islands are telling people to commit crimes and clearly no one can know where its going to rear its ugly head again. Only the criminals know.
The Premier clearly has a million things concerning the country, to deal with and some of them obviously will take him overseas. The Premier is not God.
I read through your very disrespectful tirade and up to now I cannot see where you have offered any solution(s) to how best the Premier can go forward and put a stop to all this mayhem. God help us if you were the Premier!!
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE!
The 2009/2010 budget states that $16.3 million for running HMP Northward.
That equates to some CI$80,000 per inmate!
This does not include the cost of remand at the George Town and West Bay police stations.
We need to cut this cost in half.
http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/us/2010/03/09/ac.return.to.hollenbeck.cnn?iref=allsearch
An interesting watch if you have the time. Hollenbeck LA gangs can cripple an entire community with FEAR. We really have to nip this immediately because once the gangs feel that they are in control and have no fear of repercussions we are done for. We are way to close to that now already because someone can be shot and killed in a packed nightclub of witnesses and NO one saw anything……I fear it might already be too late……………
I heard Joe Farnham’s "You’re the Voice" on the radio this morning and the chorus seems so appropriate:
"We’re all someone’s daughter
We’re all someone’s son
How long can we look at each other
Down the barrel of a gun?"
And so begins the exodus…
Many people in Cayman, both Caymanians and expats, are now planning their escape.
This crime wave would not be so bad if there was some reason to hope things would improve. But how can things improve with the leaders we have? This society is falling apart. The problems run much deeper than just several idiot kids running around shooting each other.
UDP, PPM, independents who want Caymanians to be able to buy guns easily and argue FOR illegal parking. Corrupt, incompetent, and ridiculous. This has all the signs of an utterly hopelessly situation.
The coming exodus will hurt Cayman severely. The next two years will reshape the makeup of this country in profound ways. The Caymanian brainpower and ambition that is about to leave will be missed. So too will the long-term expats who have contributed much.
The sad thing is that these people probably could have stomached the crime and other problems and soldiered on. But the incompetence and corrupt nature of our leaders is just too much to bear.
Just goes to show, apretty beach does not a paradise make.
From 1971 to 2004 I never once thought that me or my families safety was in jeopardy. In 6 short years crime has taken over the islands. Many posters have said it "all" so no repeats or rants from me. This is very sad and it amazes me that the people allow a man to continue to try to lead who is doing nothing about this horrible issue.
If the House can swiftly agree and put in legislation to get rid of green iguana’s surely tougher gang legislation would be given a higher priority??? It won’t happen until WE the people stand up together and demand action from our politicians. Enough of this crap already!!!
Do we even have a dedicated gang unit at RCIPS??? Who is collecting intel on these guys, who issupplying their guns and more importantly who is financing the purchase of these guns? This is really getting old.
Note to Com. Baines: whatever policing strategy you are utilizing it is clearly NOT working. Please re-group, re-focus and CHANGE the f!g strategy!!! Thanks!!!
All those people bashing expats will probably get their wish as it seems the ex-pats are all ready to leave this crime ridden island. Hope the Caymanians can take up the slack. But wait!!!! With no tourists coming and financial centres closing there propably will be no jobs anyway.
To Anonymous Fri..08:43. You seem to be very pleased.
Baines MUST RESIGN!…
He’s clearly not doing a good job, as under Kernohan or any of the previous Police Commissioners, crime was only a fraction of what it is now.
There is a Law prohibiting gangs and mandating a minimum 10 years jail sentence. The Police knows very well who the gang members are and could arrest them all in a matter of days, if they did a proper job.
QUOTE from Penal Code:
"A person who is a member of a gang; or participates in or contributes to the activities of a gang knowing that any or all of the members of the gang engage in or have, within the preceding three years, engaged in the commission of a series of indictable offences, [offences that bring charges] or offences under the Misuse of Drugs Law (2000 Revision), for each of which the maximum punishment is imprisonment for three years or more, is guilty of an offence and is liable to a fine of five hundred thousand dollars and to imprisonment for 20 years, subject to a minimum term of imprisonment of 10 years."
Must Read: http://www.caribbeannetnews.com/2005/11/30/outlawed.shtml
The next move is to subcontract the jailing of criminals to Cuba for a fraction of the current cost of some CI$50,000.00 per prisoner per year and save at least 1/2 of the prison budget.
I bet the local crimes won’t get drugs or see their girlfriends in Cuba, which will serve as an additional deterrent.
I like the part about sending our criminals to Cuba. Cayman Airways could go back to a daily schedule so that our criminal scan enjoy some of the delicious rotten fish they serve in Cuban prisons.
Well, I have to say this for the gangs. They are far more effective at removing Gangsta’s from society than the police, and they do not even need a helicopter!
This is how it starts, a few reports making the headlines and after a while people become so accustomed to the violence that such things don’t even make it to the front page anymore. If Cayman wants to save herself from this, now is the time to act. Stop blaming the police, don’t blame the politicians – have a look in the mirror and at your family and friends. You voted these people into power, YOU can get them out of power but more to blame – YOU are protecting the criminal element by not giving them up.
We commonly throw out generalizations as to why we perceive this is happening- a lost generation, youth feeling hopeless, too much BET and outside influence.
I would like to see a different approach taken. What if the media would do an indepth investigation into the family of the accused, and for sake of recent example, the young man who shot the 4 year old. What was his upbringing like? Interview the parents, the siblings. Are they educated, gainfully employed? Was there abuse in the home, drugs, alcohol, etc. Was he born into a disadvantaged situation?Did he come from a broken home? Were there grandparents involved in his life? Is there a history of criminal activity in the parents, siblings, or extended family? Were they covering up their sons and daughters activities- or was Uncle So & So Upon reviewing these thugs lives and their backgrounds, a pattern may clearly form (or not).If there are common themes to their lives, this may pinpoint when/where government needs to move resources to stop the cycle of crime and violence for the next generation.
It could also bring a fair number of skeletons out of the closet, which is a great starting point- instead of the hush hush everyting alright attitude that prevails.
my two cents
I don’t understand. McKeeva Bush has been a West Bay MLA for 30 years. With repeated election sweeps by his team over and over, West Bay has been his to shape and mold to his liking. He was in power during the boom times. He could have invested in the things that mattered. He could have implemented a long-term vision for the district. He could have taken gang violence seriously ten years ago when the public was begging for someone to do something about it in the schools.
But he didn’t.
Considering the state of West Bay now, why do the voters there keep electing him? At what point will they accept thathis leadership has not paid off for their disctrict and try something different?
Those voters need to ask themselves if a paved driveway or new washing machine is really worth it.
Until the Premier stays at home and takes he job seriously we will get nowhere. I just cannot believe Westbayers keep re-electing this clown. And where are his sidekicks? Also not to be seen. Cayman is in a very serious situation and I pray that our new Governor will be our saviour. Otherwise kiss Cayman goodbye.
Good Job West Bay and George Town, Mckeeva and Kirk. keep up the good work maybe just maybe the killing will soon stop. (my theory is those two district is to big for both of these man to control give it to someone whom can "manage it" or "run it" properly.
EAST END and NORTH SIDE, Arden Mclean and Ezarrd Miller great great fantastic job for keep both District save and beautiful please dont let this crime enter into your community. you are true true Rulers of your district may the good Lord always protect you andbe on your side.
BODDEN TOWN, Chuckie "Clifford", what part are you pt 1, pt 2 or pt 3 the movie, work with your people. crime is moving in.
Let me say this again. British policing methods DO not work here! Great if your handing out traffic tickets,but we are now talking some serious stuff that will need serious measure’s.
Bring in some heavy tackle from USA. Lets start kicking in a few doors and get tough.
You wouldn’t know British policing if you got run over by it. Quit shooting your mouth off about things you don’t have a clue about.
Until the residents of this Island stand together, organize neighbourhood watches and take to the street to march in protest against the crime, demanding actions by their officials, and continue to march every singled day until some progress had been made, nothing is going to change!
Alternatively, bring in UK military to set up shop and enforce a curfew (but that may do no good as they are killing away in the early evening hours). The law needs to be changed and there needs to be a different way of punishment. Think about it. Soon all those thugs are going to be reunited in prison. Then what?
Oh Cayman, my heart cries for you. I must say I have to thank the "group"sters. (We don’t have gangs here or I think we’d know their names – any suggestions?) They are saving me a ton of money cause I don’t go out anymore, unless absolutely necessary. They are really pushing the Go East initiative. I can relate to you because when I hear about these crimes, I too want to get a gun and go out and shoot you. Is it true that you "graduated" high school not based on merit but on attendance??? I think you are spoiled and selfish. You will hurt your whole country doing whatever you feel is good for you. The Bloods and the Crips made peace, all wars do end and you will one day come to this, the only unknown is who will die waiting for this to happen. Peace.
A gangs law will be almost impossible to work.
Let us just hope that the "famous 15" is now down to 13 or 14.
The spiral down the sewer in getting smaller!!!
A few years back we were wondering when the next traffic fatalty would occur but now we are wondering when is the next murder and who will it be? What is happening? All these changes in the government and the country as a whole MUST be backfiring because its only getting worse.
I say we start hanging these low lifes in the street. Or shoot them like dogs. That might make some of them think twice.
awwww interesting solution but that is how we have been treating them so now they are striking back at the community that has left them since childhood.
People don’t give birth to monsters they grow into them. Alot of these people were passed on by in the school system. When teachers screamed that there was a problem no one listened. Oh well now we can’t stop hearing gun shots.
I say we need to pull the children who are there now out so that we can end this cycle. We need to put laws in place that punish parents as well.
Why do kids join gangs?
http://www.thesitefights.com/wepatrol/Gangs/antigang4.html
Sadly, there are so many teenaged pregnancies, single parents, broken homes, and neglectful or abusive parenting habits in Cayman – this is the root cause of the crime/gang mess we are in today.
How many times have you seen parents slapping their kids around, speaking to them in nasty tones, not strapping them in seatbelts in cars?
Parental abuse and neglect is breeding kids that have little in the way of values, crave LOVE and then get onto drug dependency and join gangs etc.
"there are so many teenaged pregnancies, single parents, broken homes, and neglectful or abusive parenting habits in Cayman – this is the root cause of the crime/gang mess we are in today."
Better availability of abortion services would drastically reduce many of these problems.
Poster: 00:31 – I agree..
Family, baby mothers, friends, neighbours – YOU are ALL pulling the trigger on each shot when you don’t report what you know about these pathetic, immature brats who think they live in a ghetto emulating the thugs they see in the movies …… keep this up and Cayman will soon be one big poverty stricken ghetto with no one to buy the drugs that they’re so busy killing each other over!!
Come on people – man up! REPORT THEM..
A recent law (or perhaps it’s still a bill awaiting passage) made it illegal to be a part of a gang and to display gang affiliations. But guess what? The supposed ‘gangs’ in Cayman are not necessarily defined such as those in the US, so it’s not as easy as looking out for blue or red rags and turf tags in order to arrest them on the basis of that new law. There is no question that there are affiliations and allegiances amongst these criminals – the tit-for-tat shootings are evidence – but in reality, this law (or proposed law) will have little effect based on its intent.
Note that a series of murders last years started over a girl and escalated because of someone ‘dissing’ someone else! This is not necesarily ‘gang’ related although it displays a similar mentality. But one cannot be arrested on how uncultured they are or how they think! Much of this crime is based on today’s your culture (evident around the world) of poor role models and parenting, less tolerance, insensitivity created by TV and video games and of course, easy access to weapons and the associated ‘machismo’. Therefore the long-term corrective measures are rooted in addressing the social issues which have grown in our society and stimulated these catalysts. So, it’s not simply a law enforcement matter but that will certainly be a good start!
Meanwhile, the one benefit (of sorts?) is that in this small island, the Police know who is who, but the problem as they continue to claim is that they cannot successfully lay charges due to lack of evidence. Whether this evidence is based on witness involvement or improved investigations, something has to be done to get these crims off the street and take this island back from the brink of disaster. RCIPS cannot continue to be ineffective!!! Bring in better investigators and some REAL street cops.
There are those who know something and just keep their mouths shut and then when it hits home to them they open up. People if you know whois involved, don’t wait until tragedy hits you and then you start talking. Find a way to say something now. Go to the Pastor etc, but ask God to help you to find a way to report these criminals. If not all we will be saying is the same thing over and over again – that is, blaming someone else, mainly the Police. I am sure in other countries more crime-ridden than the Cayman Islands, you have people finding a way to report crime. We need to stop finding excuses.
God Bless those that mourn and the Cayman Islands.
Only one solution to the problem educate and promote the people like it should be and get all the anti caymanians out of the country . i am not a caymanian but its strange that the pass two job interviews should have been with a local person give the people a change i know a lot of anti caymanians target them create a undercover anti racist task force.
With literacy like that one can only assume you are Caymanian, JOKE! Seriously though, what has this got to do with anti caymanian sentiment (if it even exists). This crime wave is caymanian shooting caymanian, this has absolutely nothing to do with any other nationality so please do not try to drive wedges further into an already divided society, you are not helping. in my experience racism is NOT alive and well in the Cayman islands, long may it last.
You are obviously a Caymanian pretending not to be. To be fair I would too. XXXX
But your point is stupid. The gang members are thugs because they have been brought up by bad parents and let down by governemnt and the education system. It has nothing to do with expats.
Expats come here and do the jobs that Caymanians are either not qualified to do or those that they are not prepared to do. Despite some Caymanians believing a high school leavers certificate is sufficient qualification to get a Financial Director’s job, it is not and these uneducated thugs would never be willing to do the menial low end jobs. So it is the culture of laziness, drugs and greed that has created the generation of criminals.
I think the biggest problem with the community today is that everyone is beginning to see and accept these shootings and daily robberies as a normal thing. With the ‘ohhh, well Jamaica’s worse’ or the ‘well anyway you go there’s crime, so Cayman’s nah da bad.’ I don’t believe Cayman will EVER go back to the way it was. Ever. And I also don’t believe Cayman will ever be crime free, even if we took all the ‘gun men’ and ‘gang members’. I do believe with the amount of people I see commenting these stories daily, if they got together we CAN make some sort of change. Police men are not psychics nor are they God. They cannot predict when the next shooting or robbery will take place or who and who will be involved, nor can they be everywhere all the time. It sickens me to hear people one minute down – grading the police because they’re notacting or couldn’t stop the crime before it happened, and then turning around saing they wouldn’t give them information even if they had it or trust to share it with them in fear of their lives. Those are the same ways these criminals are controlling you without you even knowing it. We have to make criminals fear us as a community. With enough people who comment on here saying they want to make a change or be apart of one, by us coming together – maybe, just maybe we can make that change we are all longing for. Then there are those claiming they’ve had enough and are leaving the island, I for one will NOT, I refuse to allow these criminals to take over or even run me out of my country that I was born and raised in. Anything I can help with or do to better my community I will participate in. Change takes place in the community among it’s citizens, not behind a computer screen. For those who are willing and desperate to do so, I pray you go out in the community and help do so. I use to believe it could take just one perosn to change the world, or in this case – our island, but now i see it takes everyone to do so.
God Bless Cayman.
p.s. For those saying it’s to late to make a change, shame on you. You’ve given in and given up already. Change can only happen when you give it a chance to.
xx
I’m broken-hearted. Have a good day everyone and watch out for each other.
namaste.
Live by the sword and die by the sword. Doesn’t the bible say you sdow what you reap ?
The Bible also tells us not to shave our sideburns.
No it doesn’t. It had a bunch of rituals for the ancient Israelites that Jesus clearly stated no longer applied under the new covenant – i.e. from him onwards. But thanks for your grenade of ignorance.
Yes and it also says ‘an eye for an eye’ – no wonder these killings keep on coming.
I am not saying it is right just that it is so. Violence begets violence and until something drastic is done it will continue to do so. We can not realistically expect our unarmed police force to go up against these armed gang members. What we need is a specially trained gang unit such as the ones they have in NY or LA to tackle this problem. Until something like this is organized these gang retaliations will continue to occur. It’s not too late yet but Cayman gangs seem to be eliminating a good portion of the next generation and if something is not done and I mean soon we will have a lot more blood shed .
I hope to God that people realise that vigilantes are not the solution for the gang problems at hand. This is not a film; the Boondock Saints are not real people. And this island definitely does not need to start "an eye for an eye" criminal justice system. We DO, however, need valid witnesses to report to the police, neighbourhood watch programmes that are implemented (and sustained) island-wide, and a zero-tolerance policy for firearms and drugs (coincidental that they are reported in tandem? I think not).
OPEN LETTTER TO THE GOVERNOE
Its time to bring in the British soldiers or marines and let them clean up Cayman, while he police are being properly trained. It is evident thlat these gangstas have no regard for our local RCIP.
Let the gangs shoot the hell out of eachother until they have all been killed! if the police cant stop them, let them kill eachother and then the island will be peaceful again!
My family are in Grand Cayman at Easter, but i think that will be our last trip as it just not safe enough anymore! Time to find another island paradise! such a shame as we have benn coming to GC for 20 years
Candy store will be burnt to the ground, your wife raped and your children sold in to slavery ….still you never rocked the boat or had the gumption to do what was right, so what do you expect?
What was the number that the police mentioned some time ago? 15, I believe. 15 bad guys. How many are left? A few were arrested, if I’m not mistaken. A few are no longer with us… At this rate, 3 more months and from the 15 will be only 1 guy left… and then hopefully the killing stops…
Bring back Stuart Kernohan!
ha ha ha lets see how long it takes the helicopter to solve these murders!
Bring back "Tru Tru", then he can tell us again that there are no gangs in Cayman!
Revamp firearm laws now.
Life imprisonment for illegal possession
2 life sentences for each bullet fired
What happened to the gun amnesty days I believe were held by Kiwanis or Rotary. If they dont do it the Police Dept needs to. Make so attempt to reassure us that your trying to get the guns off the streets.
We need laws that work for us.
i imagine stuart has better things to do then to come back to this backwater mudhole that almost has ruined his career.
Cayman didn’t ruin his career, his fellow EnglishmenBridger and Jack did.
Evil prevails when good men do nothing. The time has come good people of the Cayman Islands to stand up and be counted. This crime wave must stop now! Collectively we must nip this in the bud immediately. No time for blame games and finger pointing. Time for constructive suggestions to enable the country to find a proper solution to this plague that is taking over our country and taking the lives of our young men.
We must march against "Gun Violence" and rescue our country that is being held hostage by a few gun slinging bird brain thugs.
Parents, brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, cousins, friends and neighbours wake up report if you have knowledge of unlicense firearms, gang activities or crime in general; it’s a gang problem today, tomorrow it may be at your front door.
Our Commissioner and Police force I beg you to continue the vigilance against these foolish thugs, implement searches against known gang leaders/members, drug dealers and the so call bad men in our society. You know who they are make it difficult for them even to take a "pee" keep them under surveillance 24/7 them and their families and known associates make life impossible for them; make them very afraid to spit on the sidewalk and if that is an infringement of the law book and change themwith it. Since they are acting like Terrorists treat them as such.
I WILL STILL BE COMING TO DIVE!!
THIS PHILLY BOY IS NOT SCARED!!
I FIGHT FOR THE THINGS I LOVE!!
SEE YOU IN JULY!!
TRUST ME!!
DON’T $&*%@ WITH ME 🙂
What are you talking about "nipping this (violence) in the bud"? Let me let you in on a little secret the bud has fully grown and has now got seedlings growing.
We are probably into 2nd generation gang bangers here in Cayman. Part of the problem in this little island is denial.
Every time a horrible murder takes place there is the same outcry.
Until the local citizens start talking about what they know of these criminals all the police can do is to show up after the crime and clean up the shell casings. If they would start talking perhaps some of these young men would not die. We need to get these murderers off our streets.
Sell the helicopter save the money and put it into counseling for the families of the murder victims. We are developing quite a number of people who fit into this group.
Internment is the answer. I suggest that the police are given the necessary powers to take the known suspects off the streets before any more of our children are murdered, before our tourist industry collapses, before our reputation as the safest island in the Caribbean becomes a joke and before it becomes impossible to sell property in West Bay or even to go out after dark. It would be a drastic measure but surely the time has come take control away from the lunatic fringe which is destroying our beautiful country.
I for one will be telling all my Scuba Diving Friends to stay away from Grand Cayman for now, They have been coming to the Islands for 35 years now, but no more.. go to Little Cayman or Cayman Brac..I could not live with myself if I did not tell them it’s not a safe place to come now!!! Sooooo Sad for the Cayman Islands
Una waisting una breath, computer time and everything else. No one is listening, The small police force cannot handle it. So who s calling the shots now. Beaurcracy.
Well, "Scube Diving Friends", that is one narrow minded approach! The tourist are generally safer here than anywhere else in the Caribbean. This shooting and others are specific and not random to warrant discouragement to our diving community.
While our sister Islands offer GREAT diving opportunities, but Grand Cayman has not yet gotten to the place where tourist need to fear. The need to take precautions with securing your belongings is world wide and should be exercised here. The economy is bad everywhere so are crimes of opportunity, but we are still a WONDERFUL diving destination!! And most people still embrace our visitors!
"Grand Cayman has not yet gotten to the place where tourist need to fear"
Tell that to the Coast Guard guy who got attacked, or the woman raped in the hotel that everyone tries not to talk about, or… or…
My children aged six and eight asked me this evening if they were going to get shot and killed.
With this comment a decision was made by my husband and myself, at Easter we are visiting relatives, when the break is over I am staying with my children back home while my husband returns to work his notice.
With school fees, house rental, provisions, entertainment and not forgetting extortionate work permits, we as a family put a great deal into the economy.
I wonder, how many more expats are thinking about doing the same thing.
Yes, maybe some of you will say "good riddance" to be honest I don’t care, you can have the job, money, house and live on this out of control crime ridden island. I want my children to have a carefree childhood with the only worry they have in their life is where they put their favourite toy.
Bye bye Cayman, I wish you the very best of luck
You are not alone. The exodus has started. Good luck to Cayman and to Caymanians. I hope they are ready to do it all alone. Since we already have no rights, and no say in the affairs of the country we live in there really is nothing left keeping us here is there? It used to be that I would put up with the lack of basic rights in exchange for the opportunity to live in a safe and beautiful place that is economically prosperous. Since this shooting just occurred three doors down from where I live it’s obviously no longer safe. What is left to keep me here? The economy no longer provides me with a decent living. It’s time to leave.
I dont know who you are, but I feel your frustraton. I am one Caymanian who could nt dare, say good riddance to you and your family. If you have been a good resident all of this time, which I believe you have, then stay and pray with us.
To soon be gone, I am sorry that you feel like this, we Caymanians the good ones feel the same way about the crime that have invaded our shores. We too feel the pinch when it comes to the high cost of living, school fees are high but guess what, not a lot of Caymanians have that priveledge of sending our kids to private schools which are subsided by our goverment.
The work permits is just that, a tax for the priveledge to work here.I trust that your family did a study on the cost of living here before you made the move, I would have.
I do not hate expats, I have many,many friends that are expats, my problem with some of them and I tell them this, its the way the newer ones of today treat the locals, 30 years ago when the expats came here they genuinely wanted to be a part of the island and the people, today you all separate your selves from them, you work with them but you just tolerate them, you throw parties and you do not invite them, you go to lunch together you do not invite them etc,etc. hey are alienated from you.,So you see, you too assist in this ugly monster of bashing and hating
I wish you all the best in the world no matter where you may go, and just to let you know, the crime in Cayman is more noticeable as it is such a small place but trust me, you will find it where ever you go.May Gods blessings go with you.
"… its the way the newer ones of today treat the locals …"
Did it ever occur to you that perhaps its the way the locals treat the "newer ones"? Just yesterday I had a "local" barely miss causing an accident and when I asked her what she thought she was doing, her response was "I’m in a &*@# bad mood so &*@# off". I really can see where the locals feel putout by expats’ attitudes. I for one take no offence at reading "Caymanians hate Expats!" etcetera, etcetera, etcetera.
It truly saddens me to have to read your post stating your little kids’ question. I am one Caymanian who is not saying "good riddance" but instead I understand the stunning and sobering effect of what is happening here.
It is in fact frightening to know how unsafe Cayman has become and if I had options like you do I would be making the same decision. Whoever you are, I wish you the best of luck too and hope that you and your children will resettle safely and quickly. I thank you for taking the time to write on this forum so that the effect of the uncontrolled crime on this island can clearly be seen; hopefully by those who need to understand and do something effective about it.
I will have your house! Thanks!
Please share where this fairyland is
Much of Canada, the North West US, France, Germany, Sweden, Switzerland, North Wales, Ireland, Costa Rica, …
No "fairyland", just a safe environment for my family to grow up. Yes poster there are places in the world where this is possible.
The town where I am going is no bigger than this island and yes there is crime as is everywhere, but believe me there are no shootings once a month, there is no fear that maybe one day my family or myself get caught in the firing line of these so called "gangstas".
This is my choice, I am fortunate enough to be able to make it. Unfortunately some good innocent people who live here don’t and I really hope this situation gets better for them and their families.
Make "Gangs" or "Gang like" activity a crime in itself.Maybe it already is? Nothing else is working.
Jack it already is a crime, but so is murder! sadly the two things exist worldwide…..hmmmmm
Except they arrest known murderers (but not known gang members).
this can really be a paradise guys, I am new on the Island and as expat I see so much potential and beauty, honestly it would be so easy to control all this criminality, but I cannot believe that this is actually happening in such a easy and indifferent way..shame on the people that are responsible for the safety of this country, such a small population and so easy to control and get to know about pretty much everything and still black sheep let free around..incredible that you can actually allow this people to destroy this paradise, that is your world and your kids one and they will always be minority so how can you allow this…simply ashaming…
Someone suggested that we make GANGS here in Cayman illegal. Abrilliant idea. It should’nt take long to have them off the streets then . Just take them off the sides of the roads and such places as where they hang out. It dosent matter where and whose property that these idle thugs hang out on. I SAY LOCK THEM UP AT NIGHT and have them out on the streets or wherever work is needed to be done and you know tht they do not like to work. I have always agreed with Ezzard Miller when he was hated and rebuked for remarking that WE HAVE LOST A GENERATION I do hope that some of us are now seeing that the man was right.
Gangs (and membership in them) are illegal. It is just that through incompetence or ineptitude no-one has ever been prosecuted for gang membership.
Curfew should be in effect as of 7pm tomorrow night until. NO ONE should be on the road unless you are emergency staff or essential staff, just like after Hurricane Ivan. By doing this for the next 2-3 weeks, we should at least be able to round up these gangs and shoot those that resist!
It’s a small sacrifice for the entire community to make in order for us all to be safe again! Anyone willing to give it a try? Let’s see who’s really serious about doing what it takes to turn this island around.
What next? A shooting in a school? another young innocent life lost? At what point will this get the heavy handed approach that is long overdue? The economic woes currently facing this country are irrelevant if this does not get dealt with quickly and effectively.
Lets get these ugly monsters off our streets, too bad we do not have an area thats inacessable other than by plane or boat so that we can put an electric fence and surround it by armed guards to shoot if you come near the fence, lock these bastards up, throw away the key and put a blind man to search for it.
Mr.Baines, the holiday is over, forget the tickets revenue making, start doing what needs to be done, start going into these known gang areas and search their whole perimeters, grass piece, mamas back yard, you name it.
Stop blaming the economy too, that has nothing to do with it, these asses who do not want to work, ask any employer that have tried to hire some of them, work one day, stay off another, come to work next day, stay a few hours and walk off the job, this is what we have to put up with, then they blame the expats for taking the job and curse the caymanian employer for trying to make a living, these are the types that are causing our problems today, and bash me if you will, but all of you that claim that the expats are taking your jobs, its these bums that are causing it because if you were all responsible working people we would not have to hire expats, get up off your lazy asses and be responsible citizens, guess what I am a Caymanian, not paper either but I have had enough of your behaviour, destroying our Island.
I hate to admit this, but when I was clicking on CNS tonight, I was thinking to myself, I wonder who has been shot tonight?
I guess its just a reflection of this country’s sad state of affairs when you actually come to expect these headlines.
My heart felt condolences to all the innocent friends and family of the people who are caught up in this hideous mess.
Crime first part of 2010
January
Two armed home invasions for cash 01/11/2010
Laundry robbed by armed cyclist 01/16/2010
Police charge man with rape 01/18/2010
Cops leave behind forensic evidence at gun shot scene 1/19/2010
Murder victim found in GT 01/29/2010
Skeletal remains discovered 01/29/2010
February
Woman mugged in George Town 02/02/2010
Armed bank robbery 02/04/2010
Police nab teenage bag snatch suspect 02/05/2010
Shirtless armed robber flees empty handed 02/10/2010
Gunman targets barber client 02/13/2010
Machete attack in Courts Rd 02/15/2010
Three gun offences in four days 02/15/2010
Child killed in drive-by 02/15/2010
Second machete attack 02/16/2010
Restaurant armed robbery 02/24/2010
March
Two hit in West Bay shootings 03/04/2010
Gunshots in George Town 03/05/2010
Woman shot – one arrested 03/05/2010
Hitchhiker escapes gun ordeal 03/08/2010
US sailor attacked in GT 03/09/2010
One dead in gang shoot out 03/11/2010
20 incidents involving guns in 11weeks !!!
According to my stats there were 8 incidents reported on CNS the first 6 months of 2009.
There were 31 the second half of 2010.
At this pace we will have over 90 by the end of 2010.
Cayman we need to do whatever it takes to change the path we are headed down. Wealthy individuals and Companies making great profits step up and contribute $ to turn this around or rich and poor will suffer if Cayman turns into the wild wild west!
No vote then no cash.
Hope Mckeeva not on a flight AGAIN!!
He better man up and get his self back here now and deal with his district’s MAJOR problem!
Yeah, I understand that the "budget" is also important. But, isn’t DEATH a bit more imperative at this time?!?
Come face us, and tell us this, "If yah can’t clean up your own backyard, how then do we expect you to tackle others"!!!
GET HOME AND BRING TROOPS!
Oh and RCIP time to pull in ALL the gang members – QUESTION THEM ALL TILL THEY START "RATTING" OUT THE ONE’S PULLING THE TRIGGERS! Cuz, am sure if you start making it difficult for them to even drive out of their yards, someone is going to give up and break down for a little satisfaction and immunity!!
ONCE A WEEK A SHOOTING? SOUNDING LIKE WE HEADING INTO MEXICAN TERRITORY NOW!
THERE GOES TOURISM – NEXT, BANKS!
To: Come face us
You speak a lot of sense, and you are right, we need armed border police to patrol the seas and catch all the drugs and guns arriving here weekly…that’s where the guns all originate and why they are here.
This place is going to hell up a rat’s backside…we are only a short step away from chaos, the population are in denial, the government are only concerned about wheel clamping and filling their bank accounts and the "Premier" is a certifiable loony with an elephantine ego……when does he proclaim himself President for life and declare war on America?
We need a state of emergency declaring, armed police, road blocks and effective border patrols…it will reassure the tourists and scare the hell out of all those little boys playing at gangsters.
Perhaps that is what will happen when the FCO take back control of the disaster called Cayman.
Past the point of no return people. This has spiralled out of control to a point that a few arrests here and there are not going to do anything.
As an expat living here, EVERY Caymanian I am in contact with seems nothing like these thugs, I just can’t get my head around how these are the children of the great folks I deal with everyday. I remember when we first moved here, and a robbery and beating seemed like a shock to everyone in the community, but now that club shooting last year that stunned the island would just read as a normal headline……
Lock yourdoors and have the machete at hand, its only a matter of time before they bring this to everyones neighborhood.
The type of "backward policing" that has been imported into the Cayman Islands from 2005 up until this present day, is about 80% responsible, for the lawlessness that we are experiencing in our streets (every week) in the Cayman Islands.
The present Commissioner and the past Commissioner’s since mid 2005, what have they demonstrated to be deemed modern day leaders in crime fighting in the Cayman Islands ??
If the people of the Cayman Islands want change in the RCIPS then you need to bring back ex-local police officers and pay them "top dollars with top benefits" to clean up the mess that has been created in the past 4-5 years.
Additionally, certain senior officers (not all) would have to be removed forthwith, to avoid certain firm measures that would have to be taken immediately, from later becoming counter-productive. If this is done, in (18) eighteen months time, as sense of normalcy will prevail back over the Cayman Islands but until then, the killings, shootings, robberies, thefts, drugs and firearms smuggling will continue, day in and day out.
As for Derek Haines, yes he is an Englishman but he arrived here from the Turks & Caicos Islands, after having an enormous impact on criminality/corruption there. I worked alongside of him for many years and I trained alongside a number of honest and loyal Turks & Caicos officers, who had nothing but praise for him while he was in the Turks.
The difference is, Derek Haines knows how to plan an attack, fight the battle and win against caribbean criminality. Unlike Kernohan and the rest of the UK commissioners that came thereafter, they arrived here to learn about caribbean criminality.
They are fine experts at sending their troops into battle to issue traffic tickets, pussy-footing and offer lip service, but their lack of knowledge and insight of caribbean criminality and the solutions to implement to curb it, is what we are all paying for now in the Cayman Islands.
Comprende-Sabe-Capeche ??
Well, maybe instead of blaming the police and the politicians it is time for the citizens of this country to step up to the plate and tell the police what they know and what they have seen. Somebody KNOWS & HAS SEEN!
Oh please! Backward policing responsible for the majority of lawlessness here? While it is a factor I beg you to please remember this:
The police force does not raise your children or instill proper morals in them.
The police force does not hide or support your family members who are involved in illegal activities.
The police force does not withhold vital information that could help solve many of these crimes.
Guess who instead does that? That’s right. It is members of the COMMUNITY who do these things. While there is no denying that the likelihood of police officers who do these things as well are present, it is not the police FORCE that is doing it, but rather individual people.
Instead of people continuing this mentality of ‘it’s everyone’s fault but mine’, how about people stop being the cowards they are and accept the fact there is no one to blame but themselves. Cayman has no one to blame but her people. All of us should be ashamed of ourselves as it is not these gangs who have committed treason, but rather it is the wider community. It is the people who let things slide because it is their brother, sister, friend, etc. The mothers who are unwilling to speak out because it’s their ‘baby’. The elders who have fostered a mentality of complacency and bigotry. Our politicians who show us that those in power need not act like responsible adults but instead can play the blame game continue a vicious cycle. Our religious leaders who spout hate against a certain group of people instead of tolerance and love. The island wide belief that if it doesn’t concern you then ‘it na ya business’…unless of course it’s gossip.
How about people stop being cowards and come forward with what they know? How can one sleep at night knowing that, because of the fear for their life, the information they could have provided but withheld, could have saved the life of 10 innocent people or even just 1. That knowing exactly the face of some of these criminals could have sent them to jail, thereby saving other lives. Are you really willing to protect yourself while murderers go free and terrorise others? Others that can end up being your best friend? Your cousin even? Are you such a coward that you refuse to take a risk to help better your home? Or even worse, are you the hypocrite who laments about the rising crime, calls in all the talk shows, writes all these posts criticising the police yet, knows vital information about a recent case or is ‘protecting’ the perpetrators.
Stop being cowards Cayman. Man up and take responsibility and end this mentality of never taking responsibility for our actions. If we don’t then we deserve what is coming and has come to us.
Remember, treason carries the highest penalty. Take care that we as an island are not committing it ourselves.
Some people really haven’t got a clue have they?
Why on earth would be bring back officers that were squeezed out of the RCIPS for being corrupt, lazy and incompetent in the first place?
Don’t blame the police for this crime wave. The cause is 100% stemmed from bad parenting by Caymanian families.
The older wiser Caymanians need to stop their teenage daughters sleeping around these gangsters. Unfortunately the way they have been brought up encourages them to opt for the easy life of not working and feeling like the world owes them because they are caymanian. Instead of growing up wanting to geta good job the boys grow up wanting to be gangsters with easy money and the girls grow up wanting to be with a gangster.
I’ve had it! I don’t want my child growing up thinking that this is the norm – unfortunately that is exactly what it happening. Us, law abiding, intelligent adults are now way more shocked by these events than the schoolchildren are. We are losing a whole generation, either by firearms or complacency. How terribly sad!
How in the hell could you, poster, disagree with that? Exactly what I am talking about – complacent!
thugs don’t like to be disrespected, even though they don’t know how to spell the word.
oh dear, oh dear, oh dear. One of the main problems is that you, Cayman, have got rid of almost all of the police officers who actually WANT TO POLICE, rather than those who just want to draw a pay cheque and are prepared to have their integrity bent over the desk. Human nature dictates that the smart ones that are left are too smart to say anything against the gross malpractice within the middle, and increasingly upper, ranks within the force to protect their own jobs. (yes, Force, it’s not a service, because it is Forcing Cayman to accept crime, not Serving Cayman by preventing crime.)
Why all the gang warfare? There’s ‘F’ all worth fighting over here anyway, You have created this Cayman, your inward looking, discriminatory ways have created this. Reverse all your polices RCIPS, for they are the source of the cess pool you have created. get the good guys back, but it will require some sacrificial bi-polar, or drug running, or child raping lambs for it to work. XXXXXX
For once, the Bible for once actually provides something relevant – "Galatians 6:7 ‘Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.’.."
But you ARE deceived Cayman, you think you have a modern police force. iI you put monkeys in the Space Shuttle, it doesn’t make them astronauts, any more than putting idiots in polce cars (or helicopters) makes them police officers.
Is God mocked? Hell yes, I bet she’s furious..!
I figured that 1 week could not pass, before those stupid gangsters would be at it again. You tell me that the lost of a child was not a lesson learnt? How many more innocent people have to die before they are stopped?????
WILD WEST
There’s only one real solution to break the momentum of these murderers: Sus and internment. Stuff civil rights. Stuff evidence. Sus and intern. This must be what the Premier meant by "unorthodox policing." Put these mobsters, who are know to the police, behind bars; or if they’re ext-patriots get them on the next plane to wherever they came from. There IS a time for draconian measures, and it’s now– right now! The law-abiding population of Cayman WILL support whatever measures are necessary to stop the killings.
this is the reason they are letting it happen so they can do that to save Cayman. Same thing with US Patriot Act….
Round and round and round it goes, where it stops nobody knows.
Another senceless murder/crime this needs to end. I can’t believe Cayman has really come to this. What about the younger children who are hearing about these crimes it is so unavoidable for them not to hear about it because something is always happening every other day. I think about my children and wonder about their future, right now it looks pretty grim. These young men are killing each other for stupid reasons and they dont give themselves any credit that God made it possible that they are here for his plan that he has for them to do good things in this wicked world. Satan is trying to collect all the souls he can. People understand that God is coming very soon, is satan a lier and he has no authority over us. Pray people pray.
Well Cayman, this is the beginninng of the end as we know it! Our little island are now being controlled by the thugs. Who would have thought that our precious island would have come to this?? This is truly a revelation that the Lord needs to come for his world instead of handing it over to these wretched souls who have no regard for life
This year is not looking like a good year. It has only begun and already people are being shot to death.
This is so sad. My condolences to the family and love ones involved.
The Associated Press is now reporting on the violence in Grand Cayman. It’s inevitably going to hurt tourism I’m afraid. Look what happened to Aruba after CNN reported on the Natalie Halloway murder because she was a pretty young American girl. And a U.S. Coast Guard sailor was attacked in GT? Great publicity. It’s all about drugs, money and guns, the root of all evil. We have to secure our borders! There’s only two ways to get these things into the island, by air and sea. RCIPS Marine Unit on all 4 corner’s with Flir vision 24/7, get our helo with Flir vision in the air 24/7, and Customs has to, as slow a process as it would be, we would all have to adapt, but they need to check every container, every suit case every vessel at the port and airport. We should be able to put up an iron curtain around Cayman. Were not that big. Mac I beg you, please take heed and act. Desperate times require desperate measures!
It’s impossible to secure our borders with the kind of corruption that is rampant in the customs office. So many packages get "lost" in there, no one knows what’s coming or going. My advice to those who don’t like the violence is simple. Leave, because it’s not going to get better any time soon. Especially when the police keep doing the same things, expecting different results.
Sadly Caymanian Conscience was right and it didn’t take long for another life to end. I am not surprised as we all know things are real bad. Perhaps they are not bad enough yet for the authorities to take the strong measures needed to uncover and eliminate the culprits. The bad guys have the upperhand, element of surprise, fear of the community, short staffed police force and authority’s lack of ideas.
As far as I am concerned criminals and crime gang related or not, are the traitors of our land and deserve maximum punishment. We are on the road to lawlessness like most of our Caribbean neighbors. Crime is taking to our island like a cancer. Fear will take over our communities. Those who can leave will do so as no amount of money is worth their safety. For those of us that we do not have anywhere else, we are on our own.
I can not even imagine what will happen if the island was to suffer another emergency like hurricane Ivan. The authorities will not be able to control the outlaws. It will be no man’s land.
Serious crime needs serious response. We need help.Strong measures taken by a strong authority. It will be uncomfortable for a while but will be well worthy. We will get our island back. It is possible. We need to start now making our voices heard.
so sorry and embarrased for cayman
OMG!!!! I don’t know what to say!! I am in total shock!!! Will it ever end????
I feel numb. I can’t believe this is happening!!!!!
It might have been smarter to rollover the gangs – to Spanish Town prison. Perhaps its not the foreign home owners, foreign business people, etc who are destroying this place.
Its not even the foreign criminals destroying the place. It’s the locals
Years ago when a policeman wrote the letter to the media saying that there was gangs brewing in the schools, the then commissioner of police told his he should have consulted with him before publishing the letter, that policeman was dismissed from the force. Now tell me what we have here today.
I said it before there is to much denial from the top ranks of the police force. It has been going on ever since, and if a police oficer talks hard to one of these people, they and their families run to MLA,s commissioner of Police, or a cant-be-trusted police officer who in turn sends them to Complaints whats it not and story comes to Bum. Officer looses interest, case aint, solved.
Things can be done fast if we want. Get a law against gangs, make it as wide range as possible and put in jail any person that is a gang member just for that even before they commit a crime, you know they will do it, 100% will do it, no doubts about it.
done deal, once in jail teach them how to behave like regulars members of the society and prepared them with a way of earning a living. If at the end of their time the board think they are not fit to society yet extend their time, that is no new, just apply it here and it will work.
of course you will have to stop the hotel treatment at the`jail
If there were only "15" people involved in most of the problems, as stated several months ago, shouldn’t they almost all be gone by now?
AND STILL THEY SIT BACK AND DO NOTHING.
This is it people, there is nothing more that can be done to save this place. Those that had the chance to do something about it and procrastinated or did nothing when "the people" have been crying out for it for years now, and those sheltering these terrorists are soley to blame for this catastrophic damage that has happened.
Tourism is never going to be the same again. These regular occurences now have made it to the international media and they will run with it. BIG WARNING SIGNS ON ALL TRAVEL SITES.
TO ALL THOSE WITH THE POWER TO MAKE THIS S%#$ STOP HAPPENING OR AT LEAST TO PUT MEASURES IN PLACE TO CONTROL IT SOMEWHAT, GET OFF YOUR F@#$%^& A@#$% AND DO SOMETHING..NNNOOOOOWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!!
I will not rant again on what needs to be done. many aregetting sick of the multiple posters who press over and over again for change.
It is coming…..the world media…..the crime in Cayman has reached a boiling point ……it will soon be ordained….the world travel media will brand us with the "do not visit" labels that The Bahams and JA had for many years.
It is a crying shame…….
This is what I have feared for a long time, now we can rest assured that it will happen, soldier attacked, tourist asleep in their condo man break in, , tourist sitting on beach thieves walk in and take their belongings, you bet, that warning will soon be on all travel sights, Do not travel to Cayman Islands, unsafe. can you blame them.
Businesses will fast leave our shores, not because of high permits, because of the lack of safety for their employees. Tourism will die a fast death, no safety measures taken.
I beg the ones that can do something about these henious crimes to start now, or we will be the ones trying to find a country that will allow us to fllee to for safety.
They seem to like 8pm….
Don’t forget about Tuesdays and Thursdays…
Our poor Cayman….. Going to hell in a handbasket……
Past tense my friend, "GONE"
Poster I think what you meant to say, Was our poor Cayman going to hell in a handgun.
This island has gone to hell. Mr. Commissioner all you have done is talk and talk. You need to shut up and do something or leave and make someone who will not just look good in front a camera take over and do something. Your comfy 6 digit salary is really not impressing me right now.
Seriously???? Do you expect the police to be everywhere at once? Do you know what could be there when the violence is about to happen? The VALUES that parents teach these young men… which is obviously lacking big time.
Also, they cannot go and gather up the "big 15" that they suspect to be the source of these horrific crimes because this island would face 15 lawsuits coming out of our behind. You think we’re financially suffering now.
Mothers, sisters, brothers, wives, friends, husbands… if you know that your relatives or friends are committing these crimes and you remain silent then INNOCENT BLOOD IS ON YOUR HANDS. You are just as guilty as them and probably even more so if you are covering for them because they are financing your lifestyle. Shame on you!
there everywhere with roadblocks they know that West has more issues than other districts police presence needs to be there most. the so called15 they can arrest people on suspicion of something they have done that countless number of times. Well it was always a certain person getting blamed for everything bad that happened up west I wonder who their going to blame now……. my condolences to the family……